money Conservatives Slam Amazon For Removing Transphobic Book
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Several prominent conservative legislators have responded to Amazon’s decision to remove the transphobic book When Harry Became Sally: Responding to the Transgender Moment. The book by author Ryan T. Anderson argues against the idea of transgenderism and briefly became a best-seller on the platform before Amazon pulled it on February 21.
The book by Anderson, who previously co-wrote a book arguing against gay marriage, claims to be “a sober assessment of the human costs of getting human nature wrong.” The book had been for sale on Amazon for three years. The book’s publisher shared a statement on the removal to their website.
“If Amazon, which controls most of the book sales in America, has decided to delist a book with which some of its functionaries disagree, that is an unconscionable assault on free speech,” Encounter Books shared. “It will have a chilling effect on the publishing industry and the free circulation of ideas. It must not be left to stand unchallenged.”
The publisher is backed by several prominent conservatives, including capitol insurrection booster Josh Hawley and failed presidential candidate Marco Rubio, who vented their spleens in a letter to Amazon head Jeff Bezos. In the letter, they accuse Amazon of using its “outsized market share to silence an important voice merely for the crime of violating woke groupthink.”
Amazon declined to comment on the letter when reached by the Wall Street Journal. A spokesperson did offer a statement on the practice of removing books from their platform, however.
“All retailers make decisions about what selection they choose to offer and we do not take selection decisions lightly,” they said.
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